Virtually all state government agencies issue rules or regulations of some kind. Most rules and regulations exist at the direction of the state legislature in order to regulate certain business and personal activities. Rules and regulations exist because it's easier to update them, eliminate them, or alter them administratively than it is to pass new legislation as conditions change.
Categorizing the work of the Colorado Department of Public Safety is difficult given the fact that what we do ranges from forensic crime scene analysis to aerial firefighting, and from emergency management to identifying evidence based practices in criminal justice. Pursuant to statute, the Department is often required to promulgate rules as part of its critical public safety functions. Our process of reviewing and adopting rules and regulations is a public one. Comments are taken into consideration throughout the duration of the entire process, including during the formal stages and steps of Colorado's rulemaking process as outlined in the State Administrative Procedure Act, 24-4-103, Colorado Revised Statutes.
CDPS Protocol: How We Engage Stakeholders
When promulgating rules, all state agencies must establish a representative group of participants with an interest in the subject of the rulemaking and request these participants submit views and/or participate in meetings during any part of the rulemaking proceedings. (C.R.S. § 24-4-103(2)). In an effort to ensure early stakeholder engagement when promulgating permanent rules, CDPS divisions with rulemaking authority also utilize these groups to solicit input prior to filing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with the Secretary of State. The type of early stakeholder engagement ultimately depends on the unique circumstances of each potential rulemaking, but typically includes one or more of the following:
- Email/social media notifications with working drafts of rules, including questions for consideration
- Open Forums to discuss preliminary concepts/ideas
- Specific and targeted outreach campaigns
- Formal and informal meetings/roundtables.
The overarching goal is to ensure that interested parties have easy and early notification and opportunity to submit comments or questions for meaningful consideration and discussion on rules and regulations.
How Can You Get Involved in the Process?
To sign up to become a CDPS Stakeholder for one or more CDPS representative groups, contact CDPS Rules Administrator, Christine Moreno at christine.moreno@state.co.us or by phone 719-343-0995.
Alternatively, you may contact the following CDPS division representatives directly:
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation: amy.wheeler@state.co.us
- Colorado State Patrol: angelina.page@state.co.us
- Division of Fire Prevention and Control: dflsadmin@state.co.us
- Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: tiffaney.brooks@state.co.us
- Executive Director's Office: christine.moreno@state.co.us or by phone 719-343-0995
Other Resources From the Secretary of State and DORA
The rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by CDPS divisions are available in multiple places, including the Secretary of State's website.
You can sign up to receive email notices from the Colorado Secretary of State. This service alerts you via email whenever notices of rulemaking, permanent rules, or emergency rules have been published by the Secretary of State in the Colorado Register. This email notification contains a link to the Colorado Register to view the logistics of the hearing, the full text of notices, proposed rules, adopted rules (permanent or emergency), and the associated Attorney General opinions.,
You may also sign up to receive regulatory notices from the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA). This service will alert you via email when permanent rules are being proposed according to specific subject areas, such as water, environment, education and public safety or by specific state agencies. These notices include the logistics of the rulemaking hearing as well as a redline/strikethrough version (if applicable) of the proposed rules so that stakeholders can easily see what is being changed and why. Through these notices, you can easily request that DORA's Office of Policy, Research, and Regulatory Reform prepare a cost benefit analysis of any new or amended rule.
Where to Find Finalized Rules
The Secretary of State compiles and publishes the administrative rules adopted and promulgated by DORA (as well as all of Colorado's Executive Agencies) in the Code of Colorado Regulations. Notices of rulemaking, proposed rules, new and amended rules, and Attorney General rules opinions are published twice monthly in the companion publication, the Colorado Register. The official Code and Register are also published on the Secretary of State website.